Journalist Paul Brown has hailed Everton full-back Nathan Patterson and said that the youngster needs to ensure that this is his breakthrough season in the Premier League.
The Lowdown: Patterson’s game-time
Last January, it was announced that the Toffees had signed the 20-year-old from Rangers in a deal worth £16m.
The Scotland international got off to a difficult start in Merseyside, having played just 45 minutes of senior football in the second half of the campaign before undergoing ankle surgery.
However, the right-back has since established himself as a mainstay in Everton’s starting XI, having played the full 90 minutes in every Premier League game so far this term.
The Latest: Brown’s claim
Whilst Brown believes that Patterson is under pressure to maintain his role as a regular in Frank Lampard’s favoured team, he also acknowledges the huge talent that the youngster possesses.
Speaking with GiveMeSport, the journalist claimed: “I think it needs to be his breakthrough season. He didn’t play much after he came in last time around for various reasons.
“He clearly has huge potential. I think he’s going to be, at his age, a little bit inconsistent.
“He’s had one stinker already this season but, in the derby, he was absolutely tremendous. It was a really phenomenal performance, and he was one of the best players on the pitch.”
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The Verdict: Big talent
Hailed as a ‘diamond’ and a ‘terrific young player’ by pundit Danny Murphy for his emphatic performance in the Merseyside derby recently, Patterson’s underlying statistics illustrate his desire to work hard for the team.
As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year, the 20-year-old ranks in the 96th percentile for tackles and the 90th percentile for pressures, illustrating that he is a hard-working defender who puts in the graft out of possession.
Rated as Everton’s third-best player so far this season by Sofascore with a fantastic 7.05 average match rating, Patterson clearly has the potential to go on and have an illustrious career at Goodison Park.
Therefore, Toffees fans will be hoping that the youngster can maintain this fine form for the remainder of the campaign and, as Brown has stated, enjoy a genuine breakthrough season in the Premier League.